Young Sheldon Discussion Thread

[vonmar]

From The Hollywood Reporter

'Young Sheldon' Boss Explains the Series Premiere

Present-day Sheldon Cooper is now engaged to longtime girlfriend Amy on CBS' The Big Bang Theory. But in 1989 East Texas, a 9-year-old Sheldon (Iain Armitage) has entered high school, much to the chagrin of nearly his entire family — save for his mother, Mary (Zoe Perry) — on the network's prequel series Young Sheldon.

The spinoff, from exec producers Chuck Lorre, Steve Molaro and Emmy winner Jim Parsons — the latter who narrates his alter ego — explores the childhood of Big Bang's favorite genius, including his dynamic with twin sister Missy (Raegan Revord), older brother Georgie (Montana Jordan) as well as father George (Lance Barber).

Monday's series debut included several nods to the flagship — Sheldon's love of trains and Professor Proton (Bob Newhart) — as well as some family drama to come (which we won't spoil here). 

Below, showrunner Molaro breaks down the Young Sheldon series premiere and looks to what's next for the series — including Sheldon's love of comics and Meemaw's arrival.

<more in the link>

[Kev0821]

http://tvline.com/2017/09/25/young-sheldon-series-premiere-recap-big-bang-theory-prequel/

[Die Zimtzicke]

Okay, Zoe was great and the girl who plays the twin sister was good, and I managed to hang on until young Sheldon took his dad's hand, but I really don't like it and I don't think I'll watch again.

[Chrismo]

The show wasn't terrible and the mother was good but I think tonight be as good as it gets. I can't quite figure out who their sudience was. Also it was weird that Sheldon shared a bedroom with his sister.

[DrWackaDoodle]

I'm also on the fence as to whether I will continue to watch Young Sheldon. I laughed a few times at a few of the jokes Sheldon made but as the show ended I felt sad for Sheldon and I don't want to watch a show that makes me feel that way. The casting (with the exception of George Senior) is brilliant. When Mary called for Sheldon, I thought I was listening to Laurie, rather than Zoey.  I'll watch one more episode because pilots typically have a lot of ground to cover in a short amount of time to set up the premise, but I'm thinking, at this point, that I'm out. 

[Sah]

I really liked the family, I thought that they did a great job with casting. For me the standouts were Sheldon's siblings however...I will watch this show for the time being to see if it can reach its potential. 

[djsurrey]

I'll give it more of a chance but I'm wondering if it will be hard to sell. Something else is going to be needed I think or there won't be much reason for a season 2. The acting was good all around but why do we want to watch young Sheldon?

[joyceraye]

4 hours ago, Chrismo said:

The show wasn't terrible and the mother was good but I think tonight be as good as it gets. I can't quite figure out who their sudience was. Also it was weird that Sheldon shared a bedroom with his sister.

As adults they did talk about going into each other's rooms when they were eight. Perhaps when they'd had to move it was to a smaller house.

[joyceraye]

I've just watched it for the second time. Poor Sheldon. I feel like reaching through the screen, picking him up and giving him a cuddle. Reaching adulthood is like being released from prison for children like him. It's hell for the ones who do not have similarly gifted peers.

Why he can't stay with his own age group, goodness knows. If High School teachers can teach him, why can't fourth grade teachers ? It's not as if he needs to be with older children in order to be motivated. He wants to learn. What a pity TBBT canon has him finishing High School at eleven.

And Euclid isn't that difficult. Six-year-olds find it fun if you don't tell them it's maths.

[mirs1]

 

[hokie3457]

59 minutes ago, joyceraye said:

I've just watched it for the second time. Poor Sheldon. I feel like reaching through the screen, picking him up and giving him a cuddle. Reaching adulthood is like being released from prison for children like him. It's hell for the ones who do not have similarly gifted peers.

Why he can't stay with his own age group, goodness knows. If High School teachers can teach him, why can't fourth grade teachers ? It's not as if he needs to be with older children in order to be motivated. He wants to learn. What a pity TBBT canon has him finishing High School at eleven.

And Euclid isn't that difficult. Six-year-olds find it fun if you don't tell them it's maths.

I haven't watched it a second time, but I think I will.  I have so many feelings that are all over the place on this.  (full disclosure: I don't like Sheldon, the adult).

The opening of the first day of school scene was extremely frightening.  Sheldon's melt-down over not being able to find his bow tie rang so true to me. The young actor seemed to me to nail that situation. He seems quite gifted. In school, Sheldon will be a "fish out of water" on two fronts: obviously at being so much younger than his classmates, but also in his unusualness.  We have seen him not only antagonizing the other kids, but the teachers as well.  I fear this is going to be a hard sell as a comedy. We laugh at the adult Sheldon and his foibles, but Young Sheldon will be showing us where all those idiosyncrasies come from.

All that being said, Mary is spot-on as acted by Ms. Perry. Loved the scene where Sheldon calls her his "Christian Soldier" as he leans into her. A strong female presence in his life (sort of like Penny?).  I adored Missy, the typical smart-ass sister.  Georgie will be a "deep-water" sort of character.  In his giant scene, I saw him sort of coming to the defense of his little brother, not being angry at the association. In his talk with his father I took it as him not knowing how to feel about the situation.  Good acting on his part.

That leaves George Sr. We have some pretty negative pre-conceived ideas of Sheldon's father.  In this first episode he showed both sides. I knew it would be him that hid the bow tie.  Something that the Mr. Cooper we know would do.  However the moment he and his younger son shared in the explanation of losing his job, teaching Sheldon that maybe pointing out every transgression can be a bad thing, we got some depth to George.  That and the following scene where Sheldon removed his mitten to hold his dad's hand for the first time was very effective and it proved to be the episode's "awwwww" moment.

In the next episode we meet Mee-Maw as acted by Annie Potts.  We shall see (not until November 2.  Not sure if that is a good thing to wait that long or not).

[Capt. Hilts]

Ms. Perry is terrific.

[Chrismo]

8 hours ago, joyceraye said:

As adults they did talk about going into each other's rooms when they were eight. Perhaps when they'd had to move it was to a smaller house.

It just seemed weird he wasn't in a room with his brother. The other thing is they apparently had two cars and if you were living in a hose on wheels two cars seem much.

[HeWolf]

I also found my most prevalent feeling while watching YS was a sense of discomfort. I do not want to watch a never ending succession of scenes showing a little boy being tormented, mocked, bullied, or similarly mistreated. And, sadly, this is what a child like the one we saw last night would experience in a public high school. 

I enjoyed some of the characters, (Sheldon's mom and sister) and didn't care for others, (his brother). I found his father to be about what I expected. The previews lead me to believe that Mee-Maw (Annie Potts) may not be any more likable than TBBT incarnation we have already seen.

I'll give it a few more episodes and see how it goes. If it's just going to be Sheldon suffering at the hands of others then I won't keep watching.

2 hours ago, joyceraye said:

Why he can't stay with his own age group, goodness knows. If High School teachers can teach him, why can't fourth grade teachers ? It's not as if he needs to be with older children in order to be motivated. He wants to learn. What a pity TBBT canon has him finishing High School at eleven.

 

Curriculum is why fourth grade teachers can't teach him. They have classes full of fourth grade students and a curriculum to follow. They can't have one kid doing something totally different in that same class.

11 minutes ago, Chrismo said:

It just seemed weird he wasn't in a room with his brother. The other thing is they apparently had two cars and if you were living in a hose on wheels two cars seem much.

We saw the exterior of the house. No wheels...

12 hours ago, DrWackaDoodle said:

I laughed a few times at a few of the jokes Sheldon made but as the show ended I felt sad for Sheldon and I don't want to watch a show that makes me feel that way. 

I feel exactly the same way.

Edited September 26, 2017 by HeWolf

[Jonny]

46 minutes ago, HeWolf said:

I also found my most prevalent feeling while watching YS was a sense of discomfort. I do not want to watch a never ending succession of scenes showing a little boy being tormented, mocked, bullied, or similarly mistreated. And, sadly, this is what a child like the one we saw last night would experience in a public high school. 

I enjoyed some of the characters, (Sheldon's mom and sister) and didn't care for others, (his brother). I found his father to be about what I expected. The previews lead me to believe that Mee-Maw (Annie Potts) may not be any more likable than TBBT incarnation we have already seen.

I'll give it a few more episodes and see how it goes. If it's just going to be Sheldon suffering at the hands of others then I won't keep watching.

Curriculum is why fourth grade teachers can't teach him. They have classes full of fourth grade students and a curriculum to follow. They can't have one kid doing something totally different in that same class.

We saw the exterior of the house. No wheels...

I feel exactly the same way.

The main reason why I haven't watched it yet and maybe won't. Sure there are some concerns about breaking canon but if Sheldon's life was as miserable as he said on this show then I am not sure I would want to see that especially when he is more vulnerable as a child. There is a difference between hearing how bad his life was when telling it as an adult and actually seeing it when he was a child. I already get my full of heart-breaking stuff from other shows, more than enough in fact.

Reviews I have seen say it is more a Dramedy than a Comedy.

[gsxdoug]

Exactly what I expected. Not my cup of tea. I've never cared for the "adult narrating his childhood" format, or shows featuring overly-forward children.

[Tripper]

Young Sheldon among new shows that ad buyers like the most: http://www.adweek.com/tv-video/young-sheldon-and-the-good-doctor-are-among-the-new-fall-shows-buyers-like-most/

[Chrismo]

2 hours ago, gsxdoug said:

Exactly what I expected. Not my cup of tea. I've never cared for the "adult narrating his childhood" format, or shows featuring overly-forward children.

There not going to get any non TBBT fans. I think most are going to watch a few times and give up, I don't think your opinion is the minority

[bfm]

It felt more like a sometimes funny drama to me. Some parts about the family dealing with this different child were touching, as well as Sheldon's relationship with Mary. I think Zoe Perry did a wonderful job portraying this loving mother, scared for her son and with no idea about what may be the best for him. But I don't know if that would be enough to keep me watching. I will give it a try. 

Edited September 26, 2017 by bfm

[vonmar]

On 9/25/2017 at 9:53 AM, mirs1 said:

 

In this video Iain talks about his father being a theater actor and references Hamilton.  His father is Tony nominee, Euan Morton and he is currently playing King George in Hamilton on Broadway...

Euan talked about his son for Broadway.com 

 

[Die Zimtzicke]

5 hours ago, Tripper said:

Young Sheldon among new shows that ad buyers like the most: http://www.adweek.com/tv-video/young-sheldon-and-the-good-doctor-are-among-the-new-fall-shows-buyers-like-most/

The Good Doctor deserves it. I have an adult son with autism and it blew me away. Young Sheldon? No.

[Itwasdestined]

Felt like I was watching the Wonder Years. It’s not a comedy. It’s a good humoured drama. I didn’t not like but don’t see it as a compelling must record for later show for me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[joyceraye]

I'm hoping in future episodes we're going to see Sheldon getting loving care via Strawberry Kwik and sausages in his spaghetti. I want to see him getting some real enjoyment out of life even if it is with trains. I can't bear to think it's going to be another quarter-century before he's truly happy. His use of words like 'torment' show that he does suffer when others don't get him and use it as an excuse to bully.

What's happening now shows the source of the habit of thinking he was superior to those around him so that even when he was with peers as an adult he believed they were all beneath him.

[mirs1]

28 minutes ago, joyceraye said:

I'm hoping in future episodes we're going to see Sheldon getting loving care via Strawberry Kwik and sausages in his spaghetti. I want to see him getting some real enjoyment out of life even if it is with trains. I can't bear to think it's going to be another quarter-century before he's truly happy. His use of words like 'torment' show that he does suffer when others don't get him and use it as an excuse to bully.

What's happening now shows the source of the habit of thinking he was superior to those around him so that even when he was with peers as an adult he believed they were all beneath him.

I'm looking forward to the episode where he finally finds his passion for comics books and superheroes, that will be a great source of enjoyment for him. According to what Jim said in an interview, in that episode his clothes will also change, probably he will wear superheros-themes T-shirts,  and hopefully it will get closer to how Sheldon dresses now.

Edited September 27, 2017 by mirs1

[vonmar]

From TV Line

Young Sheldon Scores Full-Season Order at CBS After Just One Episode

Young Sheldon has zoomed to the head of his freshman class.

CBS’ Big Bang Theory prequel has earned a full-season pickup just two days after its highly-rated launch, making it the first rookie series to score a coveted “back 9” order. Monday’s premiere delivered 17.2 million total viewers and a 3.8 demo rating — retaining nearly all of its Big Bang Theory lead-in to mark the most-watched comedy launch since 2 Broke Girls (in September 2011) and the highest rated since The Crazy Ones (September 2013).

(22 episodes according to Entertainment Weekly)

Edited September 27, 2017 by vonmar